Umbra - The Hidden Ones
Act One Chapter 1 She finally did it. She reached her goal. Years of hard work, years of blood, sweat and tears finally paid off. She was someone. Gleefully, she breathed in the fresh air, felt the sunlight on her cheeks and listened to the jubilant crying and shouting coming from the crowd in front of her. She was a woman in her early twenties, well trained, with dark brown, coily hair, that she always wore tied back. Her skin was a dark brown, her eyes black. She almost always had a smile on her full lips, putting her kind and sweet way of being on full display whenever she could. That was her mentality . treat everyone equally well, and you will get it back. This, of course, did not work with monsters... She heard steps approaching - huge, heavy steps, accompanied by the clinking of a worn armor. "Well done, Palavi. I don't know how we could have done this without you.", a booming voice exclaimed. Palavi turned around, a large grin on her face. Of course it was him. He had a talent for showing up at exactly the right moment. "Master!" She looked up. "Where have you been? You missed the ceremony!" He laughed, shaking his head. "You know," he said, stroking one of his braids, "I don't need to watch any old ritual. I know that my little girl is the best, regardless of any ceremony or medal or whatever." Palavi looked at him, at his hair - that bore an uncanny resemblance to a Blangonga's fur, if it weren't for the two hideous braids - at his way of standing, arms folded. He smiled, but still had that characteristic frown. His black eyes were full of wisdom, despite his age of merely thirty years. "Thank you, master. Without you I would never have been able to do this." She gave him a sudden hug, slightly startling him and making the crowd erupt in even louder cheering. Several hours later, Palavi and her master sat in her room. It was a quiet night, the first quiet night in a long time. Finally she and her master could talk about past events, about their friendship, without having to worry about another attack. "Master, did you ever manage to slay a Teostra?". He stiffened up and answered: "No, never. To my dismay... you see, this is why I am so proud of you. You saved Manano. You saved your friends, my friends," he said with a soft smile. They continued talking long after the last light in Manano was put out. Meanwhile, a heavily wounded red dragon walks through a dark cave. It approaches a glistening blue eye, before breaking down in front of it. Suddenly the room starts to tremble, a dark and loud roar sounding through it. The Teostra is engulfed in black fire, before emerging again. It has changed, its eyes being as blue as those belonging to the mysterious entity. "Remember!" a voice, dark and filled with anger, hisses. The Teostra leaves the cave and takes to the skies. Chapter 2 Palavi walked through her village, enjoying the cool breeze. Even though the happiness she felt was still overwhelmingly intense, something felt off. She absentmindedly continued walking, lost in countless thoughts. Climbing the stairs to one of the large watchtowers, she noticed someone standing in a corner. Ruar, one of the other hunters, gazed over the landscape, looking for potential threat. Escaping her thoughts, she silently sneaked towards him, attempting to scare him. Suddenly, Ruar turned around, wearing a hideous red mask. "AAH!" Palavi jumped. With a laugh, Ruar removed the mask - "Did you really think it would be that easy. Hah, you don't know me." Palavi snickered, hitting his shoulder. Ruar was a good looking young man, short black hair, blue eyes and a scar disrupting his left eyebrow. Palavi knew him since they were children, and - although many insisted - never felt something for him, other than loving him like a brother. They never kept secrets from each other, although Ruar sometimes had moments where seemed weirdly nervous, but Palavi never figured out what caused it. "What brings you here?", Ruar asked with a smile. "I don't know, I was just walking around, thinking about... stuff." - "Is everything okay?" - "Yeah, I mean, no. You know, ever since I slayed the Teostra I've been feeling so... weird. I mean, I reached my goal, I managed to save the whole village. But what do I do now? This can't be it." - "Palavi, this is not it. Look, this village still needs you. No, not against Elder Dragons, but that does not mean that our chief or our Wycademy won't need you in the future. We have so many monsters to slay, it's ridiculous. Researching, capturing, item deliveries, we don't just go out, wiggle our weapons around and the monster falls dead to the floor. We are much more than that." An awkward silence followed. Palavi stared at the endless outback, as if to count the sand grains one by one. Ruar, desperately trying to keep a conversation up, asked: "Would you want to go into the Outback a bit? You know, explore some stuff, or just walk around... I'm sure the monsters won't mind." Palavi laughed: "Well then, why not." Walking down the stairs, Palavi felt the wind become stronger. Ruar put his armor on, Palavi followed suit. Heading for the gate, they continued chatting - the weather, her sudden fame, his undying love for fried arrowanas, and so on - before walking out into the Outback. Chapter 3 Palavi fearlessly entered the large cave, Ruar following her a little more timidly. She lit a torch, startling a group of Maccao. Walking along the wall, she seemed to be looking for something. There! A painting on the red stone. "Ruar, look! Come here." - "What is it? Can we hurry up? I don't like being in this cave at. All!" - "You're here with me, nothing will happen, trust me," she chuckled. Ruar relaxed, albeit not fully. He walked over to Palavi and gasped. The painting was huge, depicting several humanoid beings crouching in front of a huge, black entity. The entity's true shape is indistinguishable, being a simple black spot with two bright spots in its center. Palavi suddenly felt a cold breeze touching her, right as she looked at the black spot on the wall. It suddenly became stronger and stronger, and Palavi looked over to Ruar. To her surprise, he seemed to be unaffected. She closed her eyes, trying to focus. The wind got stronger and stronger, and suddenly she could hear a howling - a very "organic" howling. She abruptly opened her eyes again, the wind and the howling stopped. Ruar walked over to her and asked: "What is this?" Palavi hastily answered: "I don't know, to be honest. I've heard about it, but that's about it. Nobody could really tell me what they depict." - "I'm pretty sure it is a relic of the past. I really want to know who was the creator... Hey, maybe the Elders know more?" - "Ruar, I already asked them. They don't know much about it either, just that it was already there when they were young." She kept examining the wall, but could not find much. Suddenly she had an idea - she walked a few steps backwards. She gasped. "Ruar! Look at this! Come here!" - "What is it? I don't like this cave, can we hurry?" - "Come on, just look at it." The crouching figures formed the basic shape of a face. "A snake? A dragon??" - "I don't know but can we- did you hear that?!" Something rustled behind them. Palavi instinctively reached for her blades. The rustling now came from her left side. With one swift move she grabbed the torch, threw it at the noise's direction and launched herself - blades unsheathed - at the supposed threat. She found... nothing, nothing besides an angry looking Mosswine quickly waddling out of the cave. Ruar approached her, looking around nervously. "What- what is it?" he asked. "The undead corpse of a fallen hunter, waiting for its next victim." - "WH-A-?!" - "No, idiot, it was nothing. Now let's get going, you chicken." Ruar frowned, desperately trying to look miserable, but failing impressively. Palavi immediately noticed his effort to mask a nervous smile, and that was already enough to make her erupt with laughter. "Hey, what are you laughing about?!" - "Nothing, nothing. Sometimes you're unbearable." She laughed again and playfully hit his left shoulder. This, in turn, released all the tension and Ruar started to roar with laughter. Holding their stomachs, they slowly went back to the village, still snickering. "I am really the luckiest person alive," thought Palavi. Ruar looked at her, wondering what could be going on in her mind. Unbeknownst to them, something heavy and large had been watching them the entire time. A Daimyo Hermitaur, unlike any other, violently burst through the sand. Its carapace was dark and rugged, one of its pincers enormously deformed. Its eyes were, strangely, discolored, fading from black to a pale but bright sky blue. Suddenly, there was a cold wind, again followed by a strange howling. The Carapaceon seemed to react. Emitting a gurgling noise, it shook its pincers in a threat display, before digging into the red sand again. Chapter 4 Palavi felt weird. Ever since she saw the cave paintings, she felt weird - she slept restlessly, sometimes had the sensation of someone watching her and generally was nervous and clumsy. Her master noticed that something was off, so he tried to investigate. Palavi, however, always evaded questions about her well-being, about her mental state. Not even Ruar could come through to her. Palavi wouldn't talk to anyone, training harder and harder, trying to overcome her state of nervousness. "I don't know about you, but something is very wrong with Palavi," Ruar said to his hunting comrade, Lavuri. Lavuri was older and taller than both Palavi and Ruar. He had long red hair and pale skin with freckles scattered over his cheeks. He was handsome and well trained, albeit very skinny. His eyes weren't blue, as one would expect, instead they were unnaturally bright and green. Tirelessly he looked around, scanning his environment with great precision. This trait of his made him an excellent gunner, something he enjoyed bragging about. "I know, Ruar, I know. But what can you do?" - "I want to help her, I want to know what is bugging her." Lavuri looked around, seeing Palavi coming towards them. He put on his most charming smile, and, with a nod, greeted her. "Hello, my love. How have you been?" he asked in a greasy tone. She rolled her eyes, answering: "I'm not feeling well, and I can't deal with you right now." - "Palavi! Be nice to him, Lavuri just asked how you are, nothing more, Jeez." Palavi's stern look softened up. "Sorry, Lavuri. It's just that I ... eh, whatever. I'll be fine." She went to the training hall, this time wielding an Insect Glaive, and not her signature blades. With a yell, she launched herself at the barrels and poles, as if to release an anger that built up in her. Ruar and Lavuri watched her with wide yes - they had never seen Palavi in such a state. Lavuri turned around and left, worried about both Ruar and Palavi. Heavily breathing, Palavi returned to Ruar. She was sweating profusely, and leaned against a fence. "My god, you are sweating like a Blangonga in the desert. Let's get you out of that armor, come on," Ruar observed. Palavi was too tired to answer, and so she gave in. Ruar called for Lavuri, who was an expert in herbs, to prepare a bath for her, and, an hour later, Palavi was a bit more refreshed. "Palavi?" - "What is it, Ruar?" - "Ever since we went to that cave you seem so... different. I remember you standing and staring at the wall, completely motionless, for a few seconds. Tell me what happened." Looking to the floor, Palavi uttered a small "Well then" and proceeded to recount what happened. Ruar's eyes widened: "I've heard of something similar! Quick, let's go to your master." Arriving at a small hut, Ruar called for Palavi's master. His palico, an unusually large and muscular felyne, opened the door and let them in. Palavi immediately rushed to her master and retold what happened. He frowned and said in his deep voice: "And you are sure that there was this howling?" - "Yes, master. Completely sure." - "This is not good... the village elders told stories about a howling wind, a presage of disaster. It can only be heard by those who survived and stood their ground against an Elder Dragon, just like you. I need to talk to them... Ruar, get me Lavuri, I need him and his wyverian speech." - "But master, I also speak wyver-" - I know you do, Palavi, but I need a good translator, if you don't mind. This situation requires utmost attention. Now come with me!" Chapter 5 They arrived at a cave entrance located at the north of the village. The Master knelt down, his Palico following suit. Lavuri knelt as well, murmuring something in the ancient language. "Me ceim aen'drean, deien mogoreama" A loud and hissing "Aen'dreatha" came as an answer. "What did he say," asked Ruar. "Something along he lines of 'Let us in, we are your servants'," answered Palavi. "Servants?! I am no servant!" - "Shut up, it's just a formal way of talking." They entered the cave and, after a while, saw the elders. Four small beings, covered by large veils, sat on a semicircular rock formation. Lavuri took a step forward and began to translate for the Master: "Great Elders, beings of ultimate wisdom and knowledge. I am here to ask you about a peculiar event that occurred to my apprentice, Palavi." Together with Lavuri, the master told the whole story and then tried to get as much information as possible. The occurrence is said to come from something ancient. Something that no mere mortal has seen before, a being said to be older than time itself. What exactly it could be is unknown, even to them. "We are only convinced about one particular aspect - the howling wind is a part of the being. Get hit by it, and you are under its influence." Palavi suddenly felt a sharp cold wind hit her back, right as the Elder finished speaking. As if they sensed it, the Elders suddenly commanded the group to leave. "But, no, please," said Lavuri. The Wyverian in the center answered sharply: "We Elders deem the amount of information you got reasonable. This is our last word." Lavuri understood and bowed down, before telling the group what the Elders had spoken. Back outside, Lavuri and Ruar asked Palavi, how she felt. "I don't know what to feel, what to think. I just... just- remember when the Elder said something about being under influence? Right as he said that, a gust of cold wind hit me. Just like it happened in the cave with the painting." - "Maybe they felt it too, and that's why they told us to leave immediately," said Lavuri. The Master stayed silent the whole time, a frown on his face and one of his braids in his hand. As always, Ruar wondered what he was thinking. The Master's Palico went over to Palavi, clumsily trying to console her and calm her down, which - thanks to his immensely muscled arms and body -did not work as well as he intended to. What was supposed to be a light pat on the back, felt more like a smack with a hammer to Palavi. She laughed at the failed attempt. The Palico smiled at her, showing his large fangs. "I need a nap," Palavi murmured. Lavuri and Ruar agreed, leaving the master alone with his thoughts - he did not even notice they were gone. As they reached Lavuri's hut, a loud horn sounded. The three hunters rushed to the watchtowers and saw it. Chapter 6 A huge and deformed Daimyo Hermitaur with blue eyes was attacking the village. It broke through the rampart and was wreaking havoc. "RUAR! LAVURI! Come with me!!" Palavi shouted. The three grabbed their weapons and ran to the monster. Lavuri positioned himself on the roof of a nearby building, his Heavy Bowgun ready and waiting for Palavi's command. Ruar unsheathed his Charge Blade and slid under the Hermitaur. With a jump, Palavi delivered several - usually devastating - blows of her Dual Blades. But she was unsuccessful - her cuts got deflected. She landed elegantly and clashed her blades together. Meanwhile Ruar managed to trip the large carapaceon, making it open and vulnerable for attacks. Palavi used this opportunity to swiftly attack the Daimyo Hermitaur's face, dealing huge damage. "LAVURI, NOW!" she shouted. Lavuri reacted immediately - he loaded three very special bullets into his gun and shouted: "Ruar, when I say ONE, you do your ultra burst!" - "Got it!" The Daimyo was just about to get up as Lavuri shouted "ONE!" He fired his Crag S ammunition, while Ruar unleashed a huge explosion himself. The large and deformed pincer broke, now having a crack right in the middle. The Hermitaur gurgled in pain, and Palavi delivered a rain of cuts and blows to its face. The monster broke free and burrowed itself to flee. The master arrived late, gasping at the destruction. "What happened?!", he screamed. Palavi explained: "A Daimyo Hermitaur... huge and with a dark carapace and bright blue eyes... attacked us." - "WHAT?!" - "Like I said. I couldn't believe it either. Here, I recovered a piece of its pincer." "Let me see..." The piece was a deep red, crisscrossed by a dark purple stripe pattern. It was heavy and sturdy, more so than normal carapaces. "I need to inform our Wycademy, you help the victims." The Master hastily ran to the large central building, leaving Palavi, Ruar and Lavuri behind. The three hunters helped tidying up the destruction, and, together with medics from the Wycademy, cared for the injured people. The three worked late into the night, falling asleep in a nearby barn at sunrise, next to the debris they had stored away earlier. "Palavi! You will pay for what you and your family did to me, did to our kind! You will no longer be safe, neither will your loved ones." The voice was deep and booming, but she couldn't see where it came from. She was in a dark room with no entrance and no exit. Suddenly, an eye, blue like a glacier, opened in front of her. Something unleashed a frightening howl and an enormous claw swiped at her... Palavi woke up with a scream, drenched in cold sweat. Lavuri and Ruar were bent over her, concerned looks on their faces. "What happened?!" they both asked. "It was... it was nothing. I just had a weird dream...," Palavi answered, got up and walked out of the barn. Chapter 7 The new day was peaceful, yet filled with sadness and the upset sounds of a recovering community. People were buzzing through the streets, trying to slowly reduce the damage. The barrier around the attacked area was completely destroyed, buildings and the ground ripped open by huge claws. Palavi looked around - several hunters were tasked with taking samples of the soil, of the watery slime the Hermitaur released, as well as of some minor splitters of the monster's armor. Above them, there was a rushed looking scaffolding, on which a group of young men and women stood, slowly working on a damaged building. Palavi continued her stroll. She walked around the building, looking around, lost in her thoughts. Then she heard the soft murmurs of a spoken prayer. First quiet, then louder and louder. She only caught fragments of it. "Shuraikorus, aiuts ninnau. Shuraikorus, ninnau esseama thu deienethan. Shuraikorus..." "Oh come on," she thought. "So the Cult of Shuraikorus arrived in Manano." She felt a disgusting taste on her tongue, almost as if the mere thought of this worship made her sick. Shuraikorus was an archaic wyverian deity, a being of dualities - protector of crops, farmers and the summer on the one hand, wielder of the icy winter, vengeful warrior and leader of a hellish army on the other hand. Palavi gasped. She saw a group of people, sitting in a circle, a glossy blue crystal in their center. They appeared to be in a deep trance, swinging back and forth in a constant rythm. They all wore black robes, some made of rough wool, others of the finest Rajang pelt available. Suddenly, one of them stood up, Palavi couldn't see their face. The person revealed a blueish dagger, before uncovering their arm and - cutting into it. The blood fell onto the crystal, coloring the earth beneath it black. The prayer suddenly became louder, before every person stood up and raised their hands. The mysterious apparent leader suddenly collapsed, fainting from blood loss. Two stronger men lifted them up and carried them away. The circle slowly broke up, every person touching the bloody crystal, before leaving. The two men came back, carrying the macabre object away. Palavi, still standing at the exact same spot as before, was shocked. "Disgusting, isn't it?", a familiar voice shouted. It was Ruar. "Why are you even asking? It's a shame that we are already this far. Why isn't anyone doing anything about it?" - "Who should? The Wycademy closes its eyes when faced with such events. Don't you remember that many of their highest scientists are openly practicing similar rituals? Not the bloody ones like this, but the smaller, less obviously evil kind. It's a miracle that they haven't elected it our official religion yet. A true shame" Palavi shook her head. She felt a drop of water on her cheek. Looking up to the cloudy sky, she noticed an oncoming thunderstorm. She walked away, to her hut. Ruar followed her. "You know, Ruar, the moment I noticed the people sitting there, I felt this cold wind again." His eyes widened: "What?! Did you hear that howl too??" Palavi nodded. Both were worried, yet neither Palavi nor Ruar admitted it. She opened the door to her hut. Litting a candle, she asked: "What are you thinking about? You seem so absent." - "Me? Oh... no-nothing. Well, maybe something." - "Yes? You can tell me. It's okay." Ruar felt uncomfortable. His whole body suddenly tensed up. His eyes widened and he groaned, seemingly in pain. Palavi rushed to help him stay standing, before shouting: "Ruar! What in the world is going on?!" He shook his head. "This. This is what I wanted to tell you. Those winds. I've been feeling them too. But this time it felt less like a cold breeze, more like a sledgehammer of ice." Palavi made him lay on her bed, him obviously needing rest. She was confused. What was it with those darned winds? Why them? Lavuri. She needed to go to Lavuri, as much as she hated the thought of being alone with him and his childish jokes and pranks. Yet she wanted answers, and to get answers she needed to speak to the Elders and for that she needed the Old Wyverian Speech and for that... she needed Lavuri. She sighed, before energically opening the front door and heading for the Herbalist's cottage. Lavuri had just finished washing himself. Startled, yet still maintaining a façade of nonchalance and impressive 'coolness', he stared at her. "What in the name of everything good and Gargwa do you want?!" - "Shut up, put on at least a tunic and follow me!" - "Why?", he asked with a boyish smile, "you don't like what you're se-" Lavuri didn't even get to finish his sentence, as Palavi slapped him. Or at least tried to - he evaded with a surprisingly swift movement. This, however, only fueled her anger. "Stop the childishness and come with me. Ruar needs help, we have to bring him to the Elders." As soon as the tall hunter heard the words 'Ruar' and 'help', he immediately got dressed and stormed out of his hut, Palavi barely managing to follow. Meanwhile, Ruar had fallen asleep, twisting and turning due to what seemed to be a terrible nightmare. Palavi shook him awake: "Ruar, it's a dream. Just a dream, you hear me?" He gasped. "A claw... an eye... cold ice... te-TEETH!" Lavuri grabbed him by the hand, pulled him towards the door and, together with Palavi, took him to the Elders of Manano. Even though he didn't show it, Lavuri was just as worried as Palavi, even more than her. Ruar and him were very good friends... maybe even more than that? No. Lavuri immediately dismissed the thought - as if... Chapter 8 WIP Category:Fan Fiction Category:Rathalosaurus rioreurensis